The Lesson

Cassie, Jake, and Marco were at the park, alternately trying to do their homework and goofing around.

A normal, everyday scene: three friends hanging out and helping each other with their homework. The one thing that made them a little different than most?

The fact that Cassie was black, Jake was Jewish, and Marco was Hispanic.

"Cassie, are you sure it was Socrates who said that thing about knowledge being the only good and ignorance the only evil?"

"Yes, Marco, I'm sure. If you'd read the chapter like you were supposed to, you'd know that," Cassie said.

"Chapter? What chapter?" Marco asked, looking a little lost.

Jake smiled, shook his head and said, "The chapter you didn't hear get assigned to us since you decided to take a nap in the middle of class."

"Oh. That chapter. Wait a minute, why didn't either of you wake me up?"

Cassie giggled. "You were sleeping so peacefully, I didn't want to wake you."

"And besides, we knew you'd ask us to help you anyway," Jake added.

"Yeah, well…" Marco shrugged. "How else am I supposed to keep up with my homework?"

"I don't know…Maybe stay awake and pay attention in class?"

"Ha. Ha. Funny, Jake. Really. It was."

Mark and Mike walked over.

"Look, Mike. It's the Nitwit Club," Mark sneered, grabbing Marco's book.

"Hey! Give it back, Mark!"

Mike laughed. "What you gonna do 'bout it, Pipsqueak?"

Cassie stood up. "Mark, Mike, please give Marco his book back and leave him alone," she said quietly.

"Ooh, I'm scared," Mark said, pretending to shake with fear.

"Whatcha gonna do if we don't, huh, Cassie?" Mike asked, shoving her back with enough force that she probably would have fallen if Jake hadn't reached out and caught her.

As soon as she was steady on her feet again, Jake let go of her and faced Mark and Mike.

"Why don't you two go bother someone else?" Jake suggested in a calm, steady voice.

"No way!" they said. Then Mark, Marco's book in hand, turned toward the pond. He began to walk away.

"Mark," Jake said in that same voice, "give Marco his book back before you leave."

Mark turned around. "Or what, Jake?"

"I don't want to fight, Mark."

"None of us do," Marco piped up. "So how about you just give my book back and we'll all just pretend this didn't happen. Okay?"

Mark looked at Mike. Mike grinned. "Go ahead, Mark. We got all weekend, remember?"

Mark nodded and tossed the book to Marco. "Here."

It landed with a soft thud next to Marco's feet. He picked it up. "Thanks. I think," he said as he brushed it off.

Mark and Mike left, looking for someone else to pick on.

The three friends watched them go. "Why do they pick on us?" Marco asked.

"Why do they pick on anyone? It's not entirely their fault, Marco." Cassie said.

"She's right. It's not. I know their family. Their parents are both prejudiced. Mike and Mark were raised to think that way."

"Wish we could show 'em that it doesn't have to be like that," Marco said.

"We can. But it won't be easy, especially with everything else that we do."

"They won't be like this for the rest of their lives," Cassie said. "They'll learn that they don't have to pick on someone just because they're a little different."

Jake nodded. "Someday, everyone will learn that lesson. Just not today."